


The devil may care but I certainly don't

by chick_with_wifi



Category: Batman (Comics), Birds of Prey (Comic), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Canon Disabled Character, F/M, Pirates, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-05-24 15:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chick_with_wifi/pseuds/chick_with_wifi
Summary: Legend tells of a ship with black sails that's crewed by the damned and captained by the great Bruce Wayne himself. Since the fateful day years ago when Bruce went missing in action, the ship was never seen or heard from again.Until now.





	The devil may care but I certainly don't

**Author's Note:**

> You can find an aesthetic for this au here: https://oraclebabsgordon.tumblr.com/post/181677605742/batfam-pirate-au-legend-tells-of-a-ship-with-black

“99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall,” Dick Grayson sang as he lay on the uncomfortable bed in his prison cell. 

He had his hands clasped behind his head and his eyes closed, resulting to inane repetitive songs to keep boredom at bay.

“98 bottles of beer on the wall, 98 bottles of…” He trailed off as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “If you’ve come to tell me to stop singing, I refuse.”

“I don’t have a problem with your singing,” said a voice as the figure descended the stairs. “It was actually quite tuneful, all things considered. Though I will have to upstage you in a few seconds. Sorry about that.”

Dick frowned in confusion. The voice was unmistakably feminine and the figure was dressed in a floor length cloak with a hood that covered her face. The cloak shifted slightly as she walked, revealing legs clad in fishnet tights. Definitely not a warden.

“Who are you?” he asked, the question coming out slightly ruder than he intended.

The woman let out a small laugh and pushed the hood back, revealing long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. “Right now? I’m your only hope.”

“You arranging a plan to break me out of here?” Dick asked, only half serious. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his abilities to break out on his own, he just wasn’t a fan of the idea of spending the rest of his life on the run.

“This is the plan,” she replied.

“What, did you steal the guard’s key or something?”

The woman shook her head. “Stand back,” she said, then almost as an afterthought added, “And cover your ears.”

Dick obeyed her without comment then proceeded to give her a slightly concerned look as she stood in front of the cell door and cleared her throat. Then she took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs.

It was unlike any sound Dick had ever heard, even muffled by his hands it was incredibly loud. Pulsing sound waves battered the metal bars that made up the door, then with a creak of protest they caved in. Once she had made a hole big enough for a person to climb through, she stopped and took a breath as she pulled her hood back up, covering her hair and obscuring her face.

Then she grabbed Dick by the hand and pulled him out of the cell. 

They walked briskly up the staircase and when Dick opened his mouth the ask her what the hell that scream was, she shushed him and whispered, “Ask when we’re outside. We need to get out now, before the guards arrive. Because they definitely heard that.”

They made it out of the cell block and up to the main corridor before anybody caught them.

“Hey, stop right there!” a guard shouted from the back room. He ran out and positioned himself between them and the door, then beckoned for his colleagues to join him.

“Too late,” the woman said, then turned and began to run back down the stairs. It was a dead end, but she obviously liked her chances better there than with the guards.

“This way,” Dick protested, pulling her back. They were still holding hands and the motion nearly made her lose her balance. He led the way in the opposite direction and up a different staircase.

Dick didn’t know where exactly this route led to, but he knew enough. On the landing was a large bay window visible from outside the prison. His plan was risky but it was their best bet. The mystery woman had taken care of the difficult part - getting him out of his cell - and he could handle the next bit.

The window was in sight, it was now or never. “How do you feel about ten foot drops?” he asked.

“What?” She wasn’t looking at him, instead her gaze was fixed on the rapidly approaching and heavily armed guards who were pursuing them up the staircase.

“Look at me,” Dick said and he had her attention immediately. “Can you work your mojo on that?” He indicated with his head to the large window covered with a pane of glass and metal bars making a diamond pattern.

She nodded.

“Do it now.”

Dick bent down and covered his ears while the woman screamed, then swept her into his arms in a bridal carry and leapt out of the window.

The surprised and confused cries of the guards echoed from inside, but was mostly drowned out by the sound of the wind rushing past Dick’s ears.

It was one of his favourite feelings in the world, the weightlessness of flying, but instead of enjoying the moment he had to focus on making sure they hit the ground safely. 

He prepared for a landing, perfected by years of tumbling and trapeze training, and managed to safely deposit the woman on the ground before going smoothly into a forward role that allowed him to gradually lose momentum until he came to a stop.

“That was…something else,” the woman said breathlessly as she got to her feet, adjusting her hood. “You do that often?”

Dick smiled. “I’d say about as often as you scream doors down.” He looked up and saw one of the guards (who had a particular hatred for Dick) shaking his fist at them from the broken window.

Giving a little mock-salute, Dick turned away and began running. The woman kept pace beside him and made it clear that she knew where they were going.

“What on earth was that scream, by the way?” he asked, barely even out of breath.

“The canary cry,” she replied. “It’s my, uh, ability. I’m Dinah. Dinah Lance” She held out her hand and he shook it as they were running.

“Dick Grayson, nice to meet you.”

By that point they had reached the town, a small collection of shops and taverns that was filled with people going about their daily life.

Out of concern that it may look conspicuous, they stopped running and instead walked at a brisk pace. Thankfully, they were soon swallowed up in the hustle and bustle and did not have to worry about the guards catching up with them. 

Or so they thought. Dick saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned his head slightly for a better look. He saw one of the guards pushing his way through the crowd and asking confused patrons if they had seen an escaped prisoner.

Dinah had clearly noticed this as well and the pair shared a glance to confirm they were both on the same page. Together they rounded a corner and ducked into a shop doorway, out of sight.

They watched until the guard had passed, then Dinah edged towards the corner and looked both directions to check it was safe. She motioned with her head for Dick to follow her then led the way back out into town.

They passed through the main shopping area and entered a different district which got less and less populated the closer they got to the coast. Dick was silently taking it all in, as having spent several months in prison he had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by people and the sights and smells of the outside world. In truth, he found it a little overwhelming.

When it became apparent that Dinah was not going to strike up conversation, Dick asked, “So just out of curiosity, why did you break me out of prison?”

“I have a friend who wants your help,” Dinah explained. “She said you’re the best in the business and you were a formidable pirate. Before you were, you know, arrested for piracy and all that.”

“Who’s your friend?”

Dinah shook her head. “I’m not at liberty to say. You’ll meet her soon enough, though.”

-

They reached their destination about half an hour later and what Dick saw took his breath away.

Dinah had led him to the harbour where a huge, majestic ship was moored. Its wood was weathered but strong, as if it had been sailing for a long time, and its sails were black as ebony. And for Dick it was achingly familiar.

“Shall we?” Dinah asked, motioning to the gangplank.

“I - uh - yeah,” Dick gestured for Dinah to go first then followed her onto the ship.

As soon as he set foot onto the deck, all the memories came flooding back to him and made his breath catch in his throat. He couldn’t stop himself staring openmouthed at the masts and rigging, once as familiar to him as his own limbs.

“Are you alright?” Dinah asked, concerned.

He blinked and realised that she was waving a hand in front of his face and giving him a worried frown.

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s just...I know this ship. I used to sail with this crew back when Bruce Wayne was the captain. I always thought it was abandoned when he went missing. I’d already left the crew before that happened, so I kinda lost track of it. But if it’s still sailing then...who is the captain now?”

“That would be me,” said a voice from behind them, calm and authoritative.

Dick spun around so quickly it nearly gave him whiplash. The door to the captain’s cabin on the upper deck was open and the figure in the doorway was regarding them with a cool gaze.

Her face was mostly obscured by a wide-brimmed hat and she was wearing a purple coat buttoned halfway to reveal a white blouse, along with dark trousers and knee-high leather boots. She was sitting in a wheelchair, her posture upright and self-assured. 

For the second time in the past few minutes, Dick found himself rendered completely speechless and staring slackjawed in amazement at the captain. Beneath her hat he could make out red hair braided out of the way, golden hoop earrings dangling from her ears, piercing green eyes and an ever-familiar smile.

Dinah noticed his reaction and smiled. “One Dick Grayson, as requested,” she said to the captain. “Albeit slightly worse for wear.”

“Thank you, Dinah.” The captain descended the ramp to be on the same level as the rest of them and rolled to a stop in front of Dick.

By that point he had regained control over his vocal chords enough to choke out a single word: “Barbara?”

“Hello Richard,” she replied. “It’s been a while.”

“It, uh, yeah, it certainly has.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

Barbara turned to Dinah. “Please can you tell Zinda and Tim that we’re ready to set sail? If we draw anchor now we should be able to make good time.”

“Yes, sir.” Dinah nodded and headed down to the berth.

Barbara then fixed her intense gaze on Dick. “May I speak with you privately?”

He followed her up the ramp and into her cabin, then watched as she bolted the door behind them. Her rigid posture became more relaxed, and as she turned to face him she removed her hat, causing her red hair to come loose and cascade over her shoulders, like rekindled flame.

With every passing second she looked more like the young girl fresh onto the boat that he had known years ago, but in possession of a new steel, an aura that radiated strength and determination.

“Barbara Gordon,” he said, breaking the silence.

She smiled and laid her hat on the table. “Sorry about the theatrics. But it’s important to preserve my identity. I can’t give that information to just anyone.”

“Why me?” he asked.

Barbara looked up at him and raised her eyebrows slightly.

“Why did you get Dinah to break me out of prison and bring me here? Why did you decide it’s ok for me to know your secret identity? What do you need me to do?”

“I usually prefer to compartmentalise and work on a need-to-know basis but - ” she sighed “ - Okay.”

She wheeled around to the other side of her desk and motioned for Dick to sit in one of the chairs in front of it.

Once they were settled, she clasped her hands and began speaking. “I asked Dinah to break you out of prison because you are one of the best fighters there has ever been. And we’re going to need good fighters on this quest to deliver some very dangerous cargo. Once you boarded this ship you became part of my crew, who alone are the only people privy to my real identity.”

“What’s the cargo?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re delivering dangerous cargo and you don’t know what it is?” Dick asked, skeptical.

“That’s kind of the downside of need-to-know,” Barbara said patiently. “And besides, ‘delivering’ is something of an overstatement.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, what we’re doing could be better described as ‘relocating’. Part of our work involves taking weaponry away from people who might be a little too tempted to use them, and placing them in a secure location. The major risk of this being that people will do almost anything to get their hands on a weapon of mass destruction. Especially those from whom it was taken.”

“So the cargo is weapons?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what kind? I mean are we talking canons, firearms, swords…”

Barbara didn’t reply. Instead she pursed her lips together and looked away from him.

“Come on, Barbara. You can’t expect me to believe you have weapons on your ship and you don’t know what they are. I bet you made sure you know how to use them and have a way of destroying them if need be.” He spread out his hands in front of him. “It may have been a while but I remember you’re the type of person who always has insurance.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave the wall her best death glare, then said quietly, “You’re right.”

“See, was that so hard?” he asked teasingly.

“Oh you have no idea,” she replied in a somber tone, but burst out laughing when she looked at him.

He laughed as well, partly out of relief to learn that Barbara still possessed a sense of humour. And because it was good to see her smile.

From outside the cabin a cannon blast sounded, loud enough that it made the deck rock slightly.

“What was that?” Dick leapt to his feet, placing a hand on the table to avoid losing his balance.

“That,” Barbara replied, “was a warning shot.” She pushed away from the table and picked up her hat. Leaving her hair loose, she put on her hat and winked at him as she wheeled towards the door. “Showtime.”

He followed her onto the deck. Outside the wind had picked up as well as the tides, and another ship was rapidly approaching on the horizon.

Barbara had one hand on top of her hat to make sure it didn’t blow away, and Dinah had come to stand next to her. She had ditched the cloak by that point and was wearing a black shirt and shorts over fishnet tights.

“Hoist our colors, Tim!” Barbara shouted up to the crows’ nest.

“You got it, Captain.” Tim began tugging on a rope and yet another black flag made its way up the mast.

Dick did a double take and shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked up at the man in the crow’s nest. Sure enough, it was his former crewmate Tim Drake. “Tim!” he shouted.

“Ahoy, Dick! Welcome aboard,” Tim replied. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” Dick said. He was already beginning to feel at home with this crew.

When the flag unfurled in the wind, the design on it was revealed: a yellow silhouette in the shape of a bat.

-

_”Everything is shipshape, Captain,” announced Dick Grayson as he entered the captain’s cabin._

_“I expect nothing less from you,” replied Bruce Wayne as he looked up from where he was plotting their route on a map. “I assume the tides are favourable? If so we’ll be at Tortuga within the week.”_

_“They’re as good as they’re ever going to be.”_

_Suddenly there was a commotion from outside the cabin and a woman’s voice shouting, “Get your hands off me you filthy bilge rat!”_

_The door slammed open to reveal Jason Todd manhandling a woman into the room, who was fighting tooth and nail against it._

_Jason kicked the door closed behind them and, when he was satisfied she couldn’t escape, loosened his grip enough for her to wrench her arm away._

_She was wearing ill-fitting men's clothes and her red hair was in braid that was beginning to come loose, messy in a way that implied it had been squashed under a hat._

_“I found this one snooping in the hold, Captain,” Jason said._

_“I was not snooping!” the woman protested._

_“She attempted to steal your ship’s log,” Jason continued, unperturbed. “And she punched out Cameron van Cleer.”_

_“And I repeat, I was not snooping! And I only stole the log to stop Cameron from taking it,” she said. “I promise I didn’t read it.”_

_“You stole it to stop it from being stolen?” Dick asked, one eyebrow raised._

_“Well when you put it like that it doesn’t make as much sense as it did in my head,” she muttered._

_“How did you get here anyway?” Bruce asked tiredly._

_“She disguised herself as a man and stowed away,” Jason said._

_Bruce closed his eyes and massaged his temples._

_Dick watched the woman turn her head slightly and glance between Jason and the door, possibly calculating her chances of making a run for it. When she decided she didn’t like her odds, she looked back at Bruce. That was when Dick realised why he’d thought she looked familiar._

_“Wait, I recognise you,” he said, making the woman look at him sharply. “You’re Governor Gordon’s daughter. Bianca?”_

_“Barbara,” she corrected, eyeing him warily._

_“Governor Jim Gordon?” Bruce opened his eyes and gave Barbara a critical once-over. “I know him. He wouldn’t like the idea of his daughter being on a pirate ship. And for that matter I don’t think you should be here either.”_

_“How can you say that?” Barbara exclaimed. “I can help you! For all you claim to be the best at what you do, not one of you realised that Cameron was planning a mutiny right under your noses. You need me on your crew.”_

_Dick shook his head. “Having a woman on board is bad luck.”_

_“Having an ameteur on board is even worse luck,” Bruce added._

_Frustrated, Barbara walked over to Bruce and slammed her hands onto his desk. “Look. If you're that determined not to have me on your crew, you'll just have to make me walk the plank.”_

_Bruce blinked slowly, taking his time to formulate an answer. “Alright. You can stay, for now, but you need to earn your keep. And if you pull another stunt like this, I’m dropping you at the next port so fast you won’t have time to protest. Now get down to the galley before I change my mind.”_

_Barbara nodded and strode out of the room without looking back. Deciding his work was done, Jason left as well._

_A few moments later, Bruce finished what he was doing and stood up, heading for the door._

_“Where are you going?” Dick asked as he caught up with him._

_“To see if young Miss Gordon was telling the truth,” Bruce said._

_The pair headed down to the hold where they found Cameron bound and unconscious on the floor. They shared a glance, then Bruce tossed the contents of a bucket of water over the unconscious man._

_He started then woke up, blinking in confusion as he looked around and tried to figure out where the water came from. Then he noticed the captain and realisation dawned on him. He pulled a strange face and looked away from them._

_Dick picked up another bucket and poured that one over him as well._

_“Blast, I’m already awake!” Cameron said, irritated._

_“That was for the smell,” Dick explained._

_Bruce knelt down in front of Cameron and gave his most threatening glare. “Were you planning a mutiny?”_

_“I, uh, might have been?”_

-

“Undesirables incoming at two o’clock, Captain,” Tim called down from the crow’s nest, readjusting his spyglass for a better look. “Estimated time of arrival five minutes.”

Barbara nodded in acknowledgement then turned towards the helm. “How are we looking, Zinda?”

“Lookin’ just dandy, Skipper,” Zinda replied cheerfully. “Ready to give those you-know-whats a piece a’ my mind.”

“Keep up the good work.” Barbara surveyed the rest of the crew, the majority of whom had emerged from below deck and taken up their various positions in preparation for the oncoming battle. “Everyone present and correct?”

A tall woman with long dark hair, whom Barbara had introduced as Helena Bertinelli, was standing behind the blonde helmswoman Zinda Blake, and had her crossbow trained on the approaching vessel. 

Next to them was an Asian woman whom Barbara had introduced as Cassandra Cain, one of the first mates. She was armed with a sword and took up a stance in preparation for a fight.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Barbara said when nobody actually replied.

“Alright, what on earth is going on here?” Dick asked.

“Bounty hunters,” Barbara said as she headed back towards her cabin and retrieved a gun from one of her desk drawers. She spun the chamber to check it was loaded, then clicked it back in and put the gun on her lap.

“Bounty hunters?” Dick echoed.

“We get a lot of them out here, labouring under the misguided notion that we actually have anything worth stealing. Or maybe they’re just bored and want a fight.”

“You don’t kill them, though, right? I mean, I know a lot of people are on the fence about whether or not we’re the good guys but killing people to stop them robbing you just seems…”

“Ruthless?”

“Kinda, yeah.”

Barbara steered her wheelchair down the ramp and over to the hull on the starboard side of the ship. “We don’t use deadly force. Just enough to scare them off. Besides, our reputation usually precedes us.”

There was an anticipatory second of silence before the enemy ship reached combat distance.

“The calm before the storm,” Barbara whispered.

“The eagle has landed,” Tim announced.

Barbara twisted her hair into a loose knot and tucked it beneath the collar of her jacket, then drew herself up to her full height and rested her gun on top of the hull, aiming it at the ship opposite. 

Zinda kept the ship steady and drew them level with the enemy vessel.

The crew of bounty hunters were standing on deck with their hands up in surrender. One was even waving a makeshift white flag which, judging from the shirtless man next to him, was a very last-minute acquisition.

Smiling, Barbara looked at Dick. “Works every time.”

-

Dick entered the captain's cabin. “Hey, Dinah said you wanted to talk to me about some - Why are you on the floor?”

At the sound of him entering, Barbara looked up. “I ran out of desk space.”

She was lying on the floor propped up one elbow and surrounded by a collection of maps and books, which she was in the process of examining.

“What is all this?” he asked, intrigued and also slightly intimidated.

“This is what I wanted to talk to you about.” She gestured for him to join her on the floor.

Cautiously, Dick located an empty space between all the papers and knelt down. 

“It’s some research I’ve been putting together. About the day Bruce disappeared.”

She handed him a clipping of a newspaper article from five years ago with the heading ‘Captain Bruce Wayne missing in action’.

“We know the date and approximate location of where he was last seen, but can’t get much more specific than that. What happened afterwards or since is anyone’s guess.”

“Sounds like a dead end.” Dick frowned. “So what’s with all this?”

Barbara smiled. “Ah, I was hoping you would ask that.” 

She grabbed a book off the pile and used her free hand to flick through the pages until she found the one she wanted. She then turned it so it was at the right angle for him to see it and slid it towards him.

It was an ancient-looking ink drawing of what looked like some sort of well, a stone circle filled with water. Next to it was a paragraph of spiky, near-illegible text.

“It’s the Lazarus Pit,” Barbara said.

“The Lazarus Whatnow?”

“Lazarus Pit. It’s what Bruce was looking when he went missing. According to the legends, it’s an enchanted pool of water that can heal injuries and grant immortality. But you probably know it by a different name: the Fountain of Youth.”

Dick’s eyes widened.

“I figured that if we could find out where this pit supposed to be it might give us an idea of where he went,” she continued. “I’ve looked through the index and compiled a list of books with information on the Lazarus Pit. I was thinking we could comb through them and see which have overlapping information about the location of the Pit. If we’re able to cross reference facts then there’s a good chance they’re true. But I’m going to need your help. Are you in?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“Great. You can start with these.” She slid a pile of old, warn volumes towards him.

Careful not to damage the pages or dust cover, he leafed through the first book and scanned for anything relating to the Lazarus Pit. It was slow going, because the print was difficult to read and apparently whoever had wrote it was very fond of the sound of their quill scratching on paper.

Barbara was making much faster progress and was already halfway through her second book, frowning thoughtfully at the page and absently twisting a lock of hair around her finger.

Eventually he found something that was potentially useful. “According to this text the Fountain of Youth is a well in Canada.”

Looking up from her book, Barbara said, “This one claims it’s somewhere in the Australian outback. Which I highly doubt is true.”

“Let’s keep looking.” He moved on to his second book, which was much more promising. “Ah, here we go. ‘The Fountain of Youth, allegedly discovered by Juan Ponce de León, is believed to be located in a cave somewhere in the Caribbean.’”

“And this book says it’s on an island in the Caribbean,” she said. “What do you make of that?”

“I think that’s a good place to start,” Dick said. Part of him was struggling to believe that they were actually making progress in a search for someone who had vanished without a trace several years previously.

“Shall we investigate the geographical location?” Barbara asked, snapping him out of his reverie.

“Yeah, good call,” he said.

“We’ll need an Atlas.” She gestured to the bookshelf on the far wall. “Could you -”

Dick climbed to his feet and brushed his fingers against the book she was looking at. “This one?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He slid the book out and handed it to her as he sat back down.

She scanned the contents page. “Let’s see. Caribbean islands…” She flicked to a particular page and set the book on the floor.

Dick shifted closer to her and looked over her shoulder at the map. She brushed her hair to one side so it wasn’t in his way.

“It’s made up of a whole lot of islands. I don’t know which is the right one.”

“The last book I read mentioned one called Bimini. Just here.” He pointed to one of the westernmost islands.

She adjusted her position slightly so she could look at him. Her eyes were bright with enthusiasm. “I think you’re onto something here!”

Her excitement was contagious and he found himself smiling back at her. “I would say this was very successful. But I suggest we leave it here for today before anyone starts to wonder where we are.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Would you mind putting these books back on the shelf?”

“Not at all.” He stood and slid the books into place while admiring the impressive collection of volumes. "How does the ship even stay afloat with archives like these?"

"Magic," Barbara replied as she stacked up some of maps on the floor.

He did a slight double take. With everything that he had learned about her in the past few hours, he wouldn't be surprised.

"I was kidding," she said when she glanced up and caught sight of his face.

He coughed. “I knew that.”

“Sure you did.”

 

-

That night, Dick stood out on deck and felt the wind ruffle his hair. If he closed his eyes he could almost feel like a kid again, having just joined Bruce’s crew and everything was new to him. That was the first time since his parents deaths that he’d felt as though he belonged.

When Bruce went missing, he had felt lost and abandoned all over again. Then he’d been arrested, which didn’t help matters. And now he found himself part of a crew captained by his old friend Barbara Gordon, when just that morning he had been in prison. It was surreal. But despite that, he once again felt that very same sense of contentment.

“Hey,” said Barbara from somewhere behind him. She wasn’t wearing her hat, but she had her jacket buttoned up all the way against the chill breeze. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all. I’d be glad of the company,” he said.

She came over to the hull next to him and gazed out over the waves, where the moon and stars were reflected on the water. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Nothing but sea and the sky, as far as the eye can see. Every star is visible.”

He smiled fondly. During his first voyage he had spent a lot of time out on deck admiring the view. “I remember.”

“And the sunrise. That’s my favourite. After I was shot I used to make sure I was up in time to watch it every single day. As a reminder that no matter how dark the night gets, the sun still rises in the morning.”

Dick turned to face her. It was the first time he’d heard her mentioned what happened. “I remember hearing about that and I’m so sorry. I did try to look you up at the time but I wasn’t successful.”

Barbara shrugged. “It’s not your fault. It’s just what happened. I’ve moved on. I have a new life now, one that fulfills me.”

He thought for a moment. “What do you miss the most?”

“Haven’t you heard a word I just said?”

“Every one of them. And I respect them. But there has to be something, one thing you can’t do now that you wish you could.”

She looked down, folding her hands in her lap. “This is going to sound really trivial, but you know that moment when you’re standing on the yard or holding on to the rigging, looking out to sea and it feels like you’re flying? You feel the wind in your hair, hear the tide rushing below you and it’s like you’re on wings.”

For a moment neither of them said anything, but their silence was companionable not awkward.

Dick tilted his head back and admired the sky. The crescent moon shone in the darkness, and all around it were stars twinkling like diamonds. It had been a long time since he last saw the night sky at all, let alone one as beautiful as this.

“You see that constellation there?” Barbara said. “That’s Cassiopeia.”

“No, where are you looking?” He frowned, unable to make out anything resembling a pattern.

She pointed. “There. The one that looks like a W.”

“Hang on, I think I’m at the wrong angle.” He got on his knees next to her wheelchair, which made them more or less the same height. “Ok, where are you looking?”

“Here.” She pointed again and he followed her finger.

“Ah yes. It kinda looks like a crown.”

“According to legend, Cassiopeia was a woman who prized vanity above all else and claimed that her beauty was greater than that of the Nereids. Poseidon took offense at this and decided to punish her by tying her to a chair and placing her in the heavens where to this day she still circles the sky, spending half her time upside-down.”

“Wow. That’s harsh,” he commented.

Barbara laughed. “You could say that.”

She put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me a story.”

He found his thoughts spiralling back to his childhood and the stories his parents had told him. “You know I’m Roma, right?”

She nodded against his shoulder.

“When I was a kid my favourite Romani folk tale was one called ‘the creation of the violin’. There’s a poor couple who long for a child, but they are unable to have one. The wife complains about this to an old woman she meets in a forest, who tells her to ‘go home and cut open a pumpkin, pour milk into it and drink it. You will then give birth to a boy who will be happy and rich’. The woman does so and gives birth to a beautiful baby boy. But shortly afterward she falls ill and dies.

“The boy grows up and when he is 20 he leaves to travel the world and seek his fortune. He arrives in a big city, where the king will give his daughter’s hand in marriage to a man who can do something which no one in the world has done before.

“Many men have tried their luck and failed, which they pay for with their lives. The boy asks the king what he should do and is thrown into a dungeon. While he is there, the fairy queen Matuya appears to him in a bright light and gives him a box and a rod. She says he should pluck some hairs from her head and string them over the box and rod. He strokes the hairs of the rod over the hairs of the box, playing the instrument to make people happy or sad as Matuya laughs and cries into the instrument. He demonstrates this skill to the king, who is overjoyed and gives his daughter’s hand in marriage to the boy. This is how the violin came into the world.”

Barbara hummed. “That’s a beautiful story. I can see why you like it so much.”

“I always loved the idea of something beautiful coming out of a bad thing, like he is in prison but because of that he created the violin. Sadly, no fairy queens visited me while I was locked up.”

“Nope, just Dinah.”

He laughed. “Yeah. Now if she were a mythical creature, she’d definitely be a siren. Because of her canary cry.” He put his arm around her. “You, on the other hand, would be a phoenix.”

“A phoenix?” she repeated, amused.

“Yes. Because you rose from the ashes and were reborn, becoming powerful and strong.”

“Careful, Grayson. You’re almost sounding romantic.”

“And because you have all this red hair.”

He caressed her hair and as he did so found himself leaning closer to her. She turned her head slightly to look at him and her gaze flicked down to his lips. His hand slid down to the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Their faces were mere centimetres away from each other when the sound of the door opening and footsteps approaching made them freeze.

“Hey Babs are you…” Dinah’s voice trailed off as she caught sight of them. “Oh my - I didn’t realise you were busy, I’m so sorry. Uh, carry on. I was never here.”

She turned around and quickly walked away, then punched the air victoriously. “Yes, finally!”

“Uh, Dinah. We can still hear you,” Barbara said, narrowing her eyes at the back of her friend’s head.

“I was never here, Captain.” Dinah repeated, completely unfazed, as she descended the steps to the crew’s quarters.

Barbara rolled her eyes then turned back to Dick. “So where were we?”

“I think you’ll have to jog my memory.”

“Nice try, Boy Wonder.”

“In that case…” He stood up then swung one leg over so he was sitting in her lap. Then he took her face in his hands and kissed her.

The breeze became stronger and it was beginning to drizzle with rain, but they were so wrapped up in each other that neither of them noticed.

-

The ship lurched alarmingly and Dick found himself thrown against the wall. “Oof! That’s going to leave a bruise.”

Barbara held tightly onto the table in an attempt to keep her chair still, but the deck wouldn’t stop moving and she began rolling backwards as her grip loosened. She cursed loudly.

While there was a momentary lull in the swaying, the pair quickly made their way to the door of the captain’s cabin and opened it, fighting against the gale force winds. They exited the cabin just before the door slammed shut behind them with a resounding bang.

Outside, it was raining heavily and they ran (almost literally in Dick’s case) into one of Barbara’s two first mates, Stephanie Brown.

She was soaking wet and her blonde hair was whipping her face in the wind. “So as you’ve probably noticed there’s kind of a storm,” she said breathlessly. “According to Tim - and I quote - ‘there be squalls ahead’.”

The deck lit up momentarily and Dick saw a fork of lightning snake across the sky.

“Uh oh,” said Barbara. She reached beneath the seat of her wheelchair and jammed on the brakes.

“You can say that again,” Steph agreed. She looked around for something to hold on to and, finding no other option, grabbed the door handle. “So Captain, what do you su -” she was interrupted by the low rumble of thunder. “Hey, I was speaking!”

“What do I suggest we do? Get everyone below deck as soon as possible, preferably before this storm gets any worse. Steph, I need you to make sure Cass and Damian get to safety. Can you do that?”

Steph nodded. “I’m on it.”

“Good luck. You got this, Steph,” Barbara said.

With one hand on the hull to steady herself, Steph made her way down across the deck to where her crewmates were situated. She was leaning forward into the wind and squinting against the rain.

“What now?” Dick asked Barbara, flicking his wet hair out of his eyes.

Lightning flashed again, the thunderclap coming almost immediately afterward.

“We make sure everyone gets inside safely,” Barbara said.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I am the captain. I swore an oath to protect this crew and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Only problem is I can’t really control my chair with the deck moving like this.”

Dick thought for a moment. “You can steer with one hand, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Why?”

“Let’s do this together,” he said. He took Barbara’s hand and she leant down to take off the breaks, then she used her free hand to push one wheel then the other to get her chair moving in a straight line.

Together they made their way across the shifting deck towards the helm. Dick’s strength made sure that her chair wasn’t knocked off course and provided the momentum she needed to keep moving when the deck tilted against her.

Dinah and Helena ran towards them and the group met about a quarter of the way across the deck.

“Babs!” Dinah shouted over the roar of the storm. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine but you need to get inside. You too, Helena. It isn’t safe out here,” Barbara said.

Dinah nodded and took hold of Helena’s arm, then they caught up with Stephanie and the others.

Dick held the door to the berth open and herded everyone inside while Barbara did a quick headcount.

“We’re missing two,” she said. “Tim and Zinda.”

“Tim,” Dick repeated, worried. He looked up and sure enough, there was Tim in the crow’s nest.

Barbara’s eyes widened and she grabbed Dick’s arm with both hands.

“I have to, Babs,” he said in response to her unasked question.

“I know you do,” she whispered, letting go of his arm. “Go get him, Boy Wonder.”

She put on her brakes and watched as he lithely scaled the rigging and climbed towards Tim.

The ropes were slippery and he almost lost his grip a few times, but this was what he did best. Up in the air, regardless of the wind, he felt most at home.

He made it to the main mast and edged his way across the yard, crouched down and holding on with both hands.

Tim’s eyes were wide with fear and his knuckles were white where he was clutching the bar that ran around the crow’s nest. When he saw Dick approaching he straightened up and lifted one leg like he was about to climb out.

Dick shook his head. “I’ll come to you.”

Tim nodded mutely.

Dick reached the small wooden platform and looked at Tim. “I need you to sit on that bar then get on my back, ok? I’m going to carry you down.”

“I don’t think I can,” Tim whispered.

“Yes you can,” Dick urged. “You’re one of the bravest people I know. You have been ever since Bruce first recruited you. Remember the first time we sailed together?”

Tim nodded.

“Remember how brave you were then? I need you to be like that now. Just get on my back, alright?”

Tim gently sat on the bar and swiveled around so his legs were on the outside. Then he wrapped his legs around Dick’s torso and placed his elbows on Dick’s shoulders.

Dick edged forward until he held Tim’s full weight. Then he heard a creaking coming from below them, and his stomach dropped.

“Dick!” Barbara shouted up to them, pointing to the wooden beam below them. It was starting to splinter.

Thinking as fast as he could, Dick came up with a solution. It wasn’t smart and it wasn’t safe, but it was their only option. “Slight change of plan. Do you trust me?”

“With my life.” Tim squeezed his eyes closed and held on as tightly as he could.

Dick took hold of one of the ropes used to unfurl the sails and pulled it loose from the mechanism. Then he took a run up along the mast and jumped. 

For a few seconds it was as though they were flying, then the rope went slack and jerked them slightly. He loosened his grip and slid down the wet rope, ignoring where it chafed his hands, then remembered to bend his knees as he landed on the deck.

“That was incredible,” Barbara said.

“Yeah…” Tim was pale as a sheet and shaking slightly. “I don’t feel so good.”

“You get inside now, ok?” Dick said.

Tim nodded and joined the others in the berth.

“I’m going to get Zinda,” Barbara told Dick, raising her voice to be heard over the ever-increasing wind.

“I’m coming with you.”

They held hands again and made their way to where Zinda was standing at the helm. It was taking all her strength to keep the wheel steady.

“Zinda!” Barbara shouted when they were within earshot. “You need to get inside now!”

“No can do, Skip,” Zinda replied, tightening her grip on the wheel, which was slick with rain. “We’re headed right for the eye of the tornado. I’m doing what I can to steer around it but the weather conditions aren’t exactly optimal.”

“It’s not safe out here,” Barbara said. She put the brakes on her chair again and looked at her friend in desperation.

Zinda shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Barbara grabbed hold of the wheel as well. “Look at me, Zinda. This storm is only going to get worse and I won’t let anything happen to you. Get inside now. That is an order, soldier!”

“Yes, Sir,” said Zinda, relinquishing her grip on the wheel.

Barbara released her hold on the wheel as well. Then took off her breaks, taking Dick’s hand as she did so.

The deck tilted again, so violently that waves splashed over the helm. The three of them were thrown towards the entrance to the berth and Dick’s arm was nearly yanked out of its socket as he pulled Barbara towards him.

He fumbled for the door and managed to get it open, and they practically fell into the lower level of the ship. They then joined the rest of the crew in the hold, which was barely big enough for all of them.

“Phew,” Barbara said, brushing her wet hair out of her face. “I never want to do that ever again. But at least we’re all safe.”

-

As the storm raged outside, it was relatively quiet in the hold.

In one corner were Helena and Zinda. Helena was kneeling on the floor and holding her crucifix necklace in her hands, whispering in prayer. Zinda was munching on an apple.

Steph, Cass and Tim were sitting together on the floor in a huddle. None of them suffered badly with seasickness but Tim still looked decidedly pale. 

Damian was seated near them, on top of an upturned crate. He was the only one who did not look at all concerned, in fact he seemed a little bored.

Dick and Dinah were also sitting on boxes, one either side of Barbara.

“Dami!” Dick had exclaimed as soon as he entered the galley and noticed the young boy. He rushed over like he was going to give Damian a hug, but held back at the last second when he remembered that Dami wasn’t a fan of physical displays of affection.

Damian calmly held his hand out and gave a handshake. “Grayson. It’s good to see you.”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Dinah asked, looking back and forth between them.

“Yeah, we were both members of Bruce’s crew. We sailed together for about a year,” Dick said.

Dinah looked over at Barbara, raising an eyebrow. “Were you planning on mentioning this?”

Barbara shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t think it was relevant.”

“Tt. Gordon dislikes talking about our time sailing with Father,” Damian said.

Dick did a double take. “Father?!”

“Yes,” he said as if Dick were being dim. “Bruce Wayne is my father.”

“I - uh - your fath - since when?!” Dick choked out. “How did I not know this?”

“Since the day I was born, I presume. Keep up, Grayson.”

“Which explains why Damian thinks he should be the captain,” Barbara said.

“It is my birthright! As the son of the previous captain, it is proper that I take up -”

“You’re 11 years old, Damian,” Dinah said. “That’s too young to be a captain no matter who your father is.”

“He really didn’t want me to be the captain,” Barbara said to Dick.

“My opinion was justified! I told Gordon she could not be the captain and in a wheelchair.”

“And I replied ‘Would you rather I was the captain and sitting on the floor?’.”

“That’s ableist,” Dick said, shaking his head at Damian. “Not cool, little bro.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I was simply concerned that Gordon would not be able to retain the secrecy of her identity as the captain, because a wheelchair makes it difficult to disguise oneself. And I thought her physical prowess may be slightly lacking without the use of her legs.”

“See, there it is,” said Barbara, gesturing with one hand.

“But I now know that is not the case,” Damian protested.

“And how did this debate get settled?” Dick asked.

Cassandra spoke up for the first time since she’d been in the room. “Challenged her...to a duel.”

Dick leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. “Who won?”

“It was a stalemate,” Barbara said.

“I allowed Gordon to assume her position as captain because her combat skills far exceeded my expectations,” Damian explained.

“Yeah, because you thought you were going to wipe the floor with her,” said Steph.

“I -”

“You can’t argue with her,” Tim told Damian. “Steph speaks the objective factual truth.”

“Wait, were you all there for this?” Dick asked. He was beginning to lose track of who had been where for what.

“I was,” Tim said. “But I guess you already knew that. I was recruited by Bruce and just never left.”

“‘Recruited’? That makes it sound like some sorta military operation,” Steph said.

“It kind of is,” Cass pointed out.

“Yeah, I see where you’re coming from.” Steph turned to Dick. “Cass and I were not there to see this duel, much as we wish we were. Babs hired me about a year into her time as captain. She got me out of a bad situation, trained me, then made me one of the first mates. Which was awesome of you, by the way, Babs.”

“You more than earned it,” Barbara said with a smile.

“And you, Cass?” Dick asked.

“Joined crew...before Steph. I was raised to be a warrior. Barbara taught me to speak and read. Helped me...be better. Made me first mate,” Cassandra said. “I am grateful.”

“You more than earned it as well, Cass. The two of you...there’s no one I would rather pass my legacy on to.” Barbara’s eyes shone with tears.

“You’re all awesome people,” Dick said. “But I have one more question. What exactly happened when Bruce went missing?”

“You know he left the ship after...everything that happened while we were docked in Gotham, right?” Tim asked Dick. “Just took off without saying anything. So Dami and I went to the hospital to see Barbara.”

Barbara took over telling the story. “When the doctors told me it didn’t look like Bruce was ever coming back, I took custody of Damian. He didn’t have anybody else. He and Tim stayed with me while I was recovering, as did Dinah who I knew from way back. The four of us decided to hire a crew and set sail as soon as possible. Seemed like the best way to move forward. I made a point of hiring women, since Bruce was so set against that. I mean, women on a ship bring bad luck? That makes no sense!”

“So Skipper here called us up real quick,” Zinda said. “We sorta knew each other already, mostly by reputation. Ain’t a whole lotta women in this business.”

"We’re a team,” Dinah said, putting an arm around Helena and Zinda, then motioning for Barbara to join their group hug.

“We all are,” Barbara said, with a sweeping gesture that included the entire crew.

-

“I bet you’re wondering why I gathered you all here today.”

Barbara’s opening line was met with stony silence from the crew amassed on deck.

“Or not, considering I have been periodically reminding you of this delivery and the danger it entails. But we’re going to go through it once more for old time’s sake.”

The crew groaned.

“We are carrying a shipment of weapons,” Barbara continued. “Which we need to deliver to a secure location here in Tortuga. But there are a lot of people willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on these weapons, and we can’t let that happen. You are some of the best fighters the world has ever known, so I need you armed to the teeth and ready to kick ass. We drop anchor in fifteen. Dick, Dinah come with me. The rest of you get ready, you know the drill.”

Barbara led the way to her cabin. When they entered, she concealed her gun and escrima sticks in the compartment below the seat of her wheelchair. Once she had done that, she braided her hair and tucked it inside the same hat she had worn when Dick first boarded.

Dinah sat on the desk and crossed her legs. She was wearing her usual attire, complete with fishnet tights, and her hooded cloak. The clasp was fastened at her throat but the actual cape was thrown back over her shoulders and the hood was down.

“Well you two are prepared,” Dick said. He was simply wearing the same clothes he had been wearing when he was in prison, but they had been washed and dried after the storm. “But don’t you need weapons, Dinah?”

“I am the weapon,” Dinah replied. “Canary cry, remember?”

“It’s not the sort of thing you forget.”

Barbara cleared her throat and waited until she had their full attention. “The reason I brought you both in here is because I need to talk to you. It’s about our search for Bruce Wayne. I found somebody willing to row us over to Bimini, where we can continue our search.”

“We’re really doing this?” Dinah asked.

“We have to, Dinah. Once we’ve made the drop then we can finalise plans. One thing at a time. And right now, we need to be ready to deliver this cargo.”

As she was speaking, Barbara put the finishing touch to her outfit, which was an oversized purple jacket that obscured her figure. “This is my disguise,” she explained. “Damian was right, the wheelchair is rather recognisable. But since secrecy is key in this business, I have found a way round it. I rarely leave the ship, I keep my distinctive red hair covered and I wear androgynous clothing. Also, you’d be surprised how few people actually know Barbara Gordon is in a wheelchair. All of which works in my favour.”

From outside the cabin, Steph called, “Land ho!”

Barbara gave her hat one final adjustment, then looked at Dick and Dinah. “Let’s roll.”

“You got it, Captain.” Dinah pushed herself off the table and headed out of the door, drawing her cloak around her and pulling up her hood as she did so.

Barbara went to follow, but noticed Dick staring at her and hung back. “What?”

Dick rubbed the back of his neck. He’d been hoping Barbara wouldn't notice his staring, which he now realised was a mistake. “Nothing. It’s just…You’ve changed a lot since we last saw each other. But then so have I. Figured you might not even recognise me when I got here.”

She gave him a look. “Are you kidding? I’d know that butt anywhere.” To emphasise her point, she slapped his butt on her way out of the door.

“Babs!” He raced after her, trying to catch up.

She shook her head and laughed. “You’re so easy, Grayson.”

-

The crew disembarked from the gangplank, prepared for whatever may happen.

Barbara was leading, with Dick and Dinah on either side of her.

Then Cass, armed with her sword and wearing black body armour and Steph, who was wearing all black apart from a purple hooded cape and a black neckerchief covering the bottom half of her face.

Helena was also wearing black, along with a purple cape and purple domino mask and carrying her crossbow; and next to her was Zinda armed with two pistols and wearing a black miniskirt and black cap with a yellow bird logo on it.

Tim and Damian made up the rear, pushing the large metal case on wheels that held the weapons shipment. Both were wearing red body armour and carrying various weapons on their persons.

The nine of them strode through the town towards the pre-arranged dropoff point, which was the town hall. Once the building was in sight, Barbara held up a hand as a signal for the group to stop.

“That’s it,” she said. Her jaw was set and her voice steary.

“Are we expecting an ambush?” Helena asked, glancing around cautiously.

“We’re expecting something,” Barbara said. “Could be an ambush, could be a trap. It’s possible they may even be planning to double cross us. So everyone be on your guard.”

“We always are,” Tim said.

“Then let’s do this.” She set off again towards the town hall, armed with a new resolve.

Dick admired her courage and determination. Whatever happened, they were ready for it.

The group reached the building and Dinah stepped forward to knock on the door. It was opened by a man in uniform, who stepped back to allow them through.

Once inside, they were led to a room where an old man was sitting behind a desk. There were two other uniformed men standing to attention behind him, as unmoving and unobtrusive as if they were statues.

The man steepled his fingers beneath his chin and leaned forwards, regarding them with great interest. “Well I never. You people certainly travel in force. Although I suppose there is safety in numbers. Now, which one of you am I addredding as captain?”

Barbara rolled forward slowly, keeping her hands on her wheels. “Me.”

The man blinked. “Not who I was expecting but alright. Hello, Captain. My name is Elias Hilbert, I am in charge of this secure storage facility. I understand you have a cache of weapons for us?”

Barbara didn’t take her eyes off the man as she gave the boys the signal, and they wheeled the container forward.

Leaning so far forward he nearly fell off his chair, Elias’s face lit up as he stared at the case. “Open it. Prove to me these weapons are really in there.”

“We can’t,” Barbara said.

He jerked his head back and looked at her sharply. 

Dick kept watching the uniformed guards behind the man. The one on the right’s hand crept towards his gun. There was something off about him, he was nowhere near as stoic as the other guards. As an instinctive response, Dick found himself reaching for his escrima sticks.

“It’s a double blind procedure,” Barbara explained. “We don’t know what is in there and we have no way to open it. Part of the policy to ensure we don’t make off with the cargo.”

“Ah, I see. Very sensible.”

Dick noticed Barbara squinting at the guard on the right as well. Her body language was tense, coiled as if she were anticipating a fight or flight response.

Following her lead and acting on his own suspicions, Dick’s fingertips brushed his escrima sticks. Something was about to go down, he could feel it.

A tiny object whizzed past them and Tim clutched the back of his neck, then slumped forward as his legs gave way underneath him. There was a tranquilizer dart protruding from just under his ear. Damian did the same.

“It’s a trap!” Barbara shouted. She propelled her chair forward and whipped out her escrima sticks, taking the guard’s legs out from under him and pinning him to the floor before he could even unholster his gun. “These are the people we stole the weapons from in the first place. They want to steal them back!”

Elias leapt to his feet and grabbed the chair he had been sitting on, brandishing it as if it were a weapon. Dick easily deflected his blows using his escrima sticks, even managing to land a hit so hard one of the chair legs snapped clean off. 

Meanwhile Cass spun around to face the guard at the door, who had fired the tranq darts. She seemed to know what he was going to do even before he did and was already moving, fluid and graceful as a ballerina. She used her sword to deflect the darts, weaving in and out of the fray as needed. It was as if she possessed some kind of sixth sense or telepathy.

She was in perfect sync with Steph, who was engaging the guard on the left in combat and wrested his gun off him. At one point, a tranq dart was mere inches away from embedding itself in her arm, but Cass deflected it, mirroring Steph’s movements as she did so to avoid hurting her.

Two more guards raced into the room, assuming everyone was otherwise occupied, and began dragging the weapons case away into the adjoining room that they had just emerged from. 

Dinah, Zinda and Helena shared a look, nodded, and gave chase.

“Fire in the hole!” Zinda shouted. She and Helena crouched down and covered their ears, while Dinah unleashed a scream so loud it left the guards clutching their heads and quivering in pain.

“I’ll take that,” Dinah said. She began to wheel the case away, but more guards approached from the other end of the room. “You want some as well, huh?” She tried to scream again, nut it just came out as a croak. “Looks like I’m all cried out. Zin, Hel, you’re up.”

Zinda drew her pistols and began giving cover fire to keep the new arrivals at bay, while Dinah fought one of the guards using her martial arts skills.

“You have obviously been trained but I can’t place your style,” said the guard.

“I’ll go a little slower next time so you can keep up,” Dinah said without breaking stride.

The second guard attempted to take the case, but Helena took aim with her crossbow and fired. The arrow went through the his sleeve and pinned it to the wall behind, missing his arm by about a centimetre.

“Next one goes through your hand if you don’t release that case,” she said.

“I don’t think so.” He kicked the case behind him then pulled the arrow out of his sleeve and dove at Helena.

“You want to fight dirty? Let’s go.” She abandoned her crossbow on the floor and began fighting in earnest. He was a formidable opponent, clearly these people had all been trained rigorously. But she recognised that his style was very formal, probably not somebody who was used to this kind of combat.

She recognised what she had to do. She began holding back slightly, enough to give the impression that she was getting tired, then when he went for the final blow she kicked with everything she had and he fell backwards. She pinned him to the floor with her legs and wheeled the case away from him then picked it up by the handle.

“I’ve got it. Let’s bail!” she shouted to Zinda and Dinah.

Dinah ducked her opponent’s latest blow and came over to Helena, who passed the case to her then bent down to retrieve her crossbow. Dinah clutched the case tightly in both arms and ran out of the adjoining room.

As they exited, Zinda continued to fire her guns. When the chambers clicked to signify she had run out of bullets, she sighed and pistol-whipped the nearest guard on the head.

“Zinda, we need to go!” Helena grabbed her by the wrist and broke into a sprint. 

They entered the main room where the battle was still in full swing. Tim had come around and was fighting alongside Steph and Cass, but Damian was still unconscious and Dick held him over one shoulder in a fireman’s carry while wielding an escrima stick in his other hand. He was back to back with Barbara, who was also using escrima sticks to block the guard’s blows. 

“Guys let’s go!” Helena shouted. “We have the case, come on!”

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Steph said. One by one everyone left the fray of the fight and raced out of the building. 

The guards gave chase instantaneously, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, Helena asked Dinah, “Do you have another canary cry in you?”

Dinah grinned. “You bet I do.” She wheeled around, took a deep breath and screamed.

That was enough to incapacitate the guards, then Dinah sprinted to catch up with her crew. 

“Wait!” a voice shouted. Elias Hilbert was running towards them, out of breath. “Wait, please!”

Barbara spun around and fixed him with her best death glare. “What do you want?”

“May I speak with you privately?” he asked. “You, specifically, Captain.”

She folded her arms. “Why?”

“I need to discuss a business matter. Please, it’s important.”

“Alright. One moment, please.” She turned back to her crew. “You guys head to the ship. I’ll catch you up.”

Dick leaned towards Barbara and said in a low voice, “If he tries anything..”

“Then I’ll shoot him dead where he stands. Any questions?”

The crew blinked in surprise, but though none of them looked happy about her decision they made no further argument.

Barbara followed Elias into his office and positioned herself on the opposite side of his desk.

“Tea?” he asked, proffering a cup.

“How do I know it’s not poisoned?”

“If I wanted to kill you I would have done so back in the fight. I just want to talk. Now do you want some tea or not?”

“No, thank you.”

He poured a cup for himself. “How did you figure out about the trap?”

“I recognised one of the men from when we procured the weapons initially. I have a really good memory. Did they bribe you?”

He said nothing, but Barbara was able to read his body language. She was nowhere near as skilled as Cass, but she was better than most.

“They did, huh? How much?”

“I’m supposed to be the one asking questions here. What I wanted to talk to you about, Captain, is your crew. They are some of the most skilled people I have ever had the misfortune to fight against. Would you be interested in working another job for me?”

“After you sold us out?” Barbara scoffed. “Thanks, but no thanks. We’ll find somewhere else to secure the weapons. Do not contact me or any of my people again, or you will be very sorry. Goodbye, Mr Hilbert.”

She left the building and headed back to the ship, where she found her crew waiting for her by the gangplank. Damian was awake by that time, and sitting on top of the weapons case.

“Babs!” Dick said when she arrived. “What did he want?”

“Us to work another job for him, because this one went so well. Don’t worry, I told him where he could put that idea.”

Dinah grinned. “That’s my girl.”

Barbara smiled back, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She glanced back towards the town, biting her bottom lip.

Dick knew exactly what she was thinking. “It’s time, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Time for what?” Tim asked.

Barbara shifted awkwardly in her chair. “Dick, Dinah and I have a small job we need to do. We’re going to find Bruce Wayne.”

Tim nearly choked on air. “You’re going to find who?”

Damian almost fell off the case. “You’re going to search for my father? Why didn’t you consult me?”

“I wasn’t entirely sure we would even get this far, to be honest,” Barbara admitted. “It was kind of a shot in the dark. We’ve been doing a lot of research and now we think we know where he went. We arranged passage there but we have to leave now to make it in time.”

“Where?” Cass asked.

“Bimini. He was looking for the Lazarus Pit,” Dinah said.

Barbara continued, “First Mates Cassandra and Stephanie, I’m leaving you in charge. I know you’ll be able to handle it. To all of you, good luck. I trust you’ll find somewhere safe for the cargo.”

Helena drew Barbara and Dinah into a hug. “You come back, alright?”

Barbara, Dick and Dinah hugged the crew and said their goodbyes, then ventured back into the town.

-

A friendly woman who was a resident of Tortuga rowed them to Bimini and explained the approximate location of where people believed the Fountain of Youth to be situated, which was in a cave in the centre of the island.

She also told them of a legend that if one steps through the waterfall in the cave, one will end up in the underworld. “I suspect that is where your friend may be,” she had said when she dropped them off on the island.

“Thank you for all your…” Dick turned to thank her but trailed off when the woman and her boat were nowhere to be seen. “...help?”

“Where’d she go?” Dinah pivoted on the spot, shielding her eyes from the sun. “How can she just vanish like that?”

Dick frowned. “I have no idea.” It was just open sea all around them, there was nowhere she could have gone.

He felt a tingling sensation in the back of his neck. Something was off about this island.

Meanwhile Barbara had ventured further into the cluster of palm trees. “Guys,” she called over her shoulder. “This way, I think I see the cave.”

Together they trekked through the rainforest, where the shade from the trees meant the air was cooler but still humid. As they got closer, between the trees they could make out the outline of a cave.

There was a waterfall covering the entrance to it, which ran into a stream that led back to the sea. They approached it, Barbara making sure her wheels didn’t get caught in the uneven ground where it had been eroded by the water.

Peering through the water and mist spray, they were able to make out a large pool lined with rock. A reverent silence fell over the group as they realised what they were looking at.

“The Lazarus Pit,” breathed Barbara. She turned to her companions. “Shall we?”

Dinah shrugged. “Well, that is the entrance. Seems as good an idea as any.”

“I agree,” Dick said.

They joined hands and passed through the waterfall, prepared to get wet. Dick instinctively closed his eyes and hunched his shoulders, but instead of feeling water beating down on him, he felt a rushing sensation as if the ground were shifting beneath him.

He opened one eye then the other. Dinah and Barbara looked as confused as he felt upon discovering that they were in the middle of a desert.

They heard a strange scuttling sound approaching from one side and saw a small rowing boat sailing toward them over the sand, being carried by a herd of crabs. There, on the boat, was none other than Bruce Wayne.

“Bruce!” Dick yelled and set off at a run. All the memories came rushing back to him at once.

Bruce disembarked from the boat and exclaimed, “Dick! Barbara! Dinah! What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“We were very smart and tracked you down, but that’s not important right now,” Barbara said, wheeling herself towards him. “We came to drag you out of whatever hole you had fallen into.”

Dinah caught up with them and asked Bruce, “You were looking for the Lazarus Pit, right? Did you find it?”

“Does this face look like it’s been to the fountain of youth to you?” Bruce asked ruefully.

Dick tilted his head to the side. “Depends on the light.”

Bruce didn’t respond to that, as he was looking at Barbara, finally registering what she had said. “You came to drag me out of a hole?”

Barbara, being Barbara, had an entire speech prepared that she had been rehearsing for days and launched into at the first opportunity. “You left them, Bruce. You were so het up about Jason’s death that you neglected your duty to the members of your crew who were still alive. Including your own son!

“Jason wasn’t the Joker’s only victim, you know. He shot and sexually assaulted me in case you’d forgotten. When you left to go wallow in self-pity, did you even know if I was alive?”

“Barbara,” Dick warned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off. “No, I want to know. Bruce, answer the question!”

“Yes. Yes, I did know that you were alive,” Bruce said.

Barbara blinked, slightly taken aback. “You did?” she whispered, her voice coming out choked.

“You were asleep but I came into your hospital room; your doctors told me what had happened and that you were paralyzed. I sat with you and held your hand, I told you how sorry I was and vowed to do everything in my power to help you. And Jason. I thought if I could find the Lazarus Pit then it could bring Jason back and let you walk again,” he said. 

His eyes were downcast and he looked as though the weight of the world rested on him. “I know you think I don’t care about you because I don’t show it in the traditional way, but I do care about you. About all of you. I thought that if I could undo what had happened because of my hubris -”

Barbara held up a hand. “Let me stop you right there. Unless you want a girl in a wheelchair to smack you around a bit, you’re going to have to let this ‘it’s all my fault’ thing go. I don’t care about getting back the use of my legs, and even if you could resurrect Jason, using the Lazarus Pit has consequences. Sometimes it’s not the best option.” She wheeled herself forward and took his hand. “What we really needed was for you to be there for us.”

It was then Bruce’s turn to be taken aback. He looked at Barbara. “That’s what you needed?”

“Even if you don’t think you can provide emotional support, just you being there is enough.”

“It’s true,” Dick said. “When you took me in after my parents died, it was the first time since that day when I didn’t feel alone.”

Bruce cleared his throat. “I, uh. Well in that case I think I ought to apologise to my crew.”

He released Barbara’s hand and climbed back into his boat.

“Actually,” Barbara said, causing him to stop and turn back to her. “They’re my crew now. I’m the Captain.”

Bruce stared at her, looking slightly offended.

Barbara shrugged. “Well somebody had to take charge.”

“Yes, I guess so. I, uh, I’m glad it was you.” He smiled at her.

Dinah, who had been watching this exchange in silence, pulled Bruce into a hug. “Oh come here you emotionally stunted freak.”

“And you, Dick?” Bruce asked when Dinah released him. “I thought you left to be your own man. What brought you back to the crew?”

“Dinah broke me out of prison because Babs wanted me to sail with her,” Dick explained, watching in amusement as Bruce’s jaw dropped. 

“And we’re dating,” Barbara added, taking hold of Dick’s arm.

“Is it too late to make amends with everyone?” Bruce said. “Provided we can actually get out of this place.”

“Yeah that might be a problem,” Dinah said. “There’s no waterfall anywhere to be seen.”

“But there is an ocean,” Bruce said. “My boat can take us there. One of these crabs told me that if we wade into it will take us back to our world.”

Barbara smiled. “In that case, let’s go.”


End file.
